Charles Clark

Who was Charles Clark?

Charles Clark was a federal judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit from Mississippi. He was, as of 2011, the highest ranking judicial official from Mississippi since L.Q.C. Lamar served on the United States Supreme Court in 1893.

Clark was born in Memphis, Tennessee to Charles and Anita Clark and was the great-grandson of Mississippi Governor Charles Clark. He entered the U.S. Naval Reserve as an ensign in 1943 and left the Reserve after the end of World War II three years later. He attended law school at Ole Miss, where he was a member of Delta Psi fraternity and met his future wife, Emily. He started the practice of law in 1946 in Jackson, Mississippi. He continued in private practice for five years, picking up an LL.B. from the University of Mississippi in 1948, then rejoined the Naval Reserve as a Lieutenant as the Korean War heated up in 1951. He left the Naval Reserve the following year, and resumed his law practice in 1953.

On October 7, 1969, President Richard M. Nixon nominated Clark to a seat on the Fifth Circuit. He was confirmed by the United States Senate only eight days later on October 15, 1969 and received his commission two days later.